The Anti-Preview: #8 Notre Dame vs Navy

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are all but eliminated from the college football playoffs after last week’s torturous 41-8 loss to the Miami-Florida Hurricanes. While there are several scenarios that could find the Irish inside the top 4, they are almost all straight from the book, “How To Be A College Football Playoff Conspiracy Theorist” (available at Dollar General stores around the country).

Still, Notre Dame has a chance of making the 2017 season a really good year if they can win their final two games AND a major bowl game (probably the Cotton Bowl - which is fitting, because it’s the last major bowl the Irish have won since the 1993 season).

First up for the Irish and their final 3 games of the 2017 season...

NAVY

Oh dear lord... the Navy Midshipmen are coming to town. It’s the ultimate game about respect that most Notre Dame fans have almost no respect for.

The Middies are having a fairly down year when compared to a lot of the recent seasons of the past. They rattled off 5 wins in a row to start the season and started to get ranked inside the top 25. Their success didn’t last long, however, as they then lost 3 straight. Navy finally stopped the bleeding with a close 43-40 win over the SMU Mustangs.

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DRINKING?

My grandfather was in the Army and won a Bronze Star at the Battle of the Bulge. So, despite his hatred of Notre Dame, we drink his drink.

The Manhattan

WHAT SHOULD YOU BE EATING?

It’s looking like it will be a cold and wet Saturday in South Bend. Whether you are there or elsewhere, a bowl of this sounds like the perfect food for such a day.

Crab and Corn Chowder

• 6 bacon slices
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 1 medium-size green bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 (32-oz.) container chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups fresh corn kernels (6 ears)
• 1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, drained and picked*
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Oyster crackers
• Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 2 Tbsp. drippings in Dutch oven. Crumble bacon.

Sauté celery and next 3 ingredients in hot drippings 5 to 6 minutes or until tender.

Whisk together broth and flour until smooth. Add to celery mixture. Stir in corn. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Gently stir in crabmeat and next 4 ingredients; cook 4 to 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve warm with crumbled bacon and oyster crackers. Garnish, if desired.

WHAT SHOULD YOU BE WEARING?

Now’s as good a time as any to buy that $100 ¹⁄₄ zip Under Armour pullover. Go ahead... I won’t judge you.

WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS GAME?

Like usual... Nothing. The option is a pain in the ass, and beating Navy does nothing for the season or for the program. The downside is far greater - and we’ve seen the downside too many fucking times in the past decade. If I had to pick something, I suppose the best thing is that it’s senior day (although that sucks too Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson!)

5 REASONS TO HATE NAVY

1. Roger Staubach
2. Ram Vela
3. The veer
4. Paul Johnson
5. Because GO ARMY!

SHAMROCK STARS

FINALLY we come to the point in the season when I simply throw my hands up when it comes to predicting what players might step up each game. That’s not too bad - it is week 12 after all.

The usual players will show up and play a solid game for the Irish - but are there any surprises left? Can a a guy like CJ Sanders rise above the invisibility of this season? Will Shaun Crawford become a playmaker again? Is this the perfect game to possibly be the last one played inside Notre Dame Stadium for Drue Tranquill? Can Brandon Wimbush return to our good graces?

I don’t know and neither do you.

AT THE END OF THE DAY...

If the Irish coaching staff plays this one right we should see a team completely pissed off and ready to take it out on someone. The trouble is that the Navy offense is tricky to contain. It’ll be like a rhino trying to track down a mouse. Eventually though the mouse runs out of room and the rhino crushes it. Notre Dame 56, Navy 20.